Beswitched
by Leanbh-Dorchadas
Summary: Henry and Vicki find themselves in a very strange situation! Followed on from my last fic: Cursed.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Ok, here it is: the sequel! I'm so glad that you guys are enjoying these and are following the story. Obviously, I still don't own any rights to the characters etc. of Blood Ties. I'm just borrowing them.

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"Concentrate, Vicki!" Henry was becoming more and more exasperated with the blonde sitting opposite him. If she didn't start putting in some effort soon, instead of just seeing the whole thing as a game, he was going to get mad.

"I am! I just…" She looked up at his expression and broke into hysterical laughter. "Why are you taking this so seriously, Henry? Honestly…men…"

"Because, Vicki, this is a very good way to train your mind. Many great figures from history were known to be quite proficient and skilled at it, and you _**asked**_ me to teach you." He was beginning to wish he hadn't agreed.

Vicki, still chuckling and trying desperately to force her features into a serious expression, moved her knight so that Henry's king was checked.

"Check! I win!" She shouted, delighted that she had done it.

"No, you don't." He took the knight with his rook, and declared proudly, "I now have a clear way to your king with my queen. Checkmate." He folded his arms smugly.

Vicki's smile turned to a frown, and for a moment she actually looked like she was sulking. Then she shrugged.

"Hey, it's just a game!" Henry rolled his eyes at her, but said nothing. He could tell she'd said it just to annoy him, and he wouldn't give her the pleasure of knowing she had.

Vicki took a bite of the now lukewarm pizza she had brought to Henry's with her. Ever since they had returned from Ireland a fortnight before, they had become much closer; Vicki had been opening up to him more and more, at the advice of Maeve, and she found she was actually getting a strange sense of freedom from it. Henry moved to sit beside Vicki on the comfortable couch, draping his arm across the back so his hand was (accidentally, of course….not) behind Vicki's head. He began to play with her hair, twirling a strand of it around his fingers. She sighed, making a contented sound, and he leaned in toward her for a kiss. Just as their lips were about to meet, Vicki's cell phone rang.

"Ignore it…" He breathed, still not willing to open his eyes just in case she actually, miraculously, listened to him. Which, to his surprise, she did. _'Moment rescued'_ he thought to himself, smiling against her lips before capturing them with his own.

Vicki left Henry's a few hours before dawn; he had some inking to do on his latest graphic novel, and she wanted to get some sleep. Henry had, as usual, gone to bed just before dawn, ensuring the bedroom blinds were down and leaving just enough time to make himself comfortable.

xXxXxXx

Henry woke with a start, sitting bolt upright in his bed. The first thing he noticed was how dark it was; his brows drew down in confusion; what was wrong with his sight? He then noticed something much, much more disconcerting – he was breathing. Not only that, but he found that when he stopped, he began to feel light headed and had to quickly suck in more air. The feeling of air rushing through his nostrils, down his neck and into his lungs was very strange to him. His eyes widened – what was happening to him? He looked around, confirming that he was, indeed, in his own bed, in his own room, and, looking at his body, he saw that he was exactly as he had been that morning when he had gone to bed. He jumped out of bed, and actually gasped when he heard a rather odd noise coming from his stomach, which, he had just noticed, felt all tingly and strange. He needed to call Vicki – immediately. She might be able to help. He left his room, feeling rather weak, and actually screamed as he jumped behind the couch; the bright light of the sun was streaming through the window. He checked himself over – no damage.

"Thank God…" He took in a deep breath, the sensation still so alien to him; he hadn't had to breathe since he was turned…When he was human….the pin dropped and, tentatively, he stuck his hand out from behind the couch into the stream of sunlight. Nothing happened. He peered out from his hiding place, looking terrified. He didn't spontaneously combust – he was fine.

"Ok…" He thought aloud, and, still not trusting the sunlight entirely, he only exposed his head as he tried to find the least sunny way to get to the phone. He decided on a course of action and made a mad dash for it, before returning to his bedroom. He silently thanked God for cordless phones as he dialled Vicki's office number.

xXxXxXx

When the office number had rung out a few times he started trying cell phones, and finally got an answer.

"No – I'm sorry. If you were Henry you'd be…sleeping." Coreen was refusing to believe that it was actually him.

"Look, Coreen, I woke in the middle of the day, breathing, of all things, the sunlight didn't burn me and my stomach is doing something odd…" He became distracted as it rumbled once more. "I don't really have time for this! Can you just come over here?"

Coreen's eyes went wide – it really was him! Calling in the middle of the day! Something extremely weird was going on…

"Oh my god! Henry! That's so cool! And very weird! I was just on my way in to the office – Vicki won't answer my calls either. I can swing by there first? She's probably out anyway…"

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Coreen arrived at the condo twenty minutes later. Henry answered the door, soaking wet, in his red robe and a towel – he had tried to shower and dress, as he usually could, in a few short minutes but had discovered that he simply wasn't able to. The blinds were drawn and all the lights were on.

"Sorry, Coreen…I couldn't move fast enough…" Henry looked really worried.

"Hey, don't worry. I'll hang out here and you can go put some clothes on!" The blatant hint was taken and Henry returned five minutes later, fully clothed. As he walked back into the room, he noticed something.

"Coreen – I can't hear your heartbeat! And you have no scent…" None of this made any sense – it couldn't even be a very realistic nightmare, because he didn't dream.

"Henry, describe exactly what happened." He went through his experiences in more detail for her, and when he finished she looked at him curiously for a moment. "Give me your wrist." She felt his pulse, and gasped as she felt the speed of it – just regular human rhythms. She dropped his arm and looked up at him questioningly as his stomach rumbled once more. "You're blushing, Henry! Vampires don't blush! And from the sounds of it, you're ravenous…" She reached into her bag and pulled out a bar of chocolate, opened it, and handed it to him. He sniffed at it, and took a tentative nibble of one corner. It was a strange taste to him, but he decided he liked it. A lot. It was gone within the minute.

"Well, I hate to break this to you, Henry, but I think you're…human…" Coreen said gently, wondering how he was going to take the assessment. If he was honest, he didn't know what to think; there were so many questions...

"I think we should go to the office, tell Vicki. Do you think you could try going out in the sunshine?"

"I suppose…But…could we get some more food on the way?"

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A/N: I couldn't concentrate when I was learning chess either, so apologies if I got the Checkmate rule wrong. As always, I'd love to know what you guys thought!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow…I'm blown away! Thanks so much for all the reviews, I'm so glad you like the idea! Also, so far I've conveniently ignored the timeline of the TV series, so I suppose it can be assumed that 'Deep Dark' never occurred in my little universe.

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Vicki awoke with a large, fast intake of breath before settling back down on her pillows. She lay with her eyes closed for a few moments, as she sometimes did, getting ready to get up. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she had gotten a really good sleep; her body felt energised and strong and she couldn't remember the last time she had felt so…awake. Suddenly, loud noises began to assail her ears; rhythmic thumping, quick footsteps, someone gasping; her door opened and she shot to a crouching position, poised to attack. Her eyes turned to dark pools and fangs descended, but she didn't notice – she was threatened and, just like any animal, she was running on instinct.

"Vicki? Vicki it's ok, it's Coreen and Henry…" Coreen motioned for Henry to take over, but he wasn't exactly sure what to do; if she was wild, like a new turn, there would be no way for either of them to control her. He could only hope that that wasn't the case. He moved slowly, wishing desperately that he had his keen senses back – she could probably see him perfectly well, sense his uncertainty…

Her black eyes followed him, catlike, waiting to ascertain whether or not he was a threat. Something inside her was telling her she was safe with him, and, instinctively, she sniffed the air to scent him; just to be sure. A small voice in the back of her mind said 'friend', and her features returned to their usual appearance. The feeling of threat gone, her rational mind took over once more and, sitting down, she realised what had just happened.

"Henry? What's happening? Wait…I…I can…I can see you! Both of you!" One hand went to her mouth in shock at the realisation. She was amazed; all the colours, the space, the things she could see and then Coreen and Henry…they just glowed…Her eyes flashed black for a moment and Henry decided he needed to intervene before she became too distracted.

"Vicki, may I sit down?" He gestured toward the side of the bed and took a seat when he saw her nod. "I think I need to explain some things to you. You've probably noticed some…unusual sounds, right?" She nodded. "And you're probably wondering what they are?" She nodded again. "Can you hear two rhythmic beats? They probably aren't in time with each other, and they'll sound…" He searched for the word. To a vampire, a heartbeat was unmistakeable; alluring; enticing…the sound of life. "Distinct. They'll stand out."

She tilted her head to the side, listening. Not that she needed to; Vicki had been able to hear both even while Henry had been talking.

"One sounds…steady. Stronger." She looked up at Henry. "It's yours! Wait…why do you have a heartbeat? I thought…" He held up his hand.

"Not now, I just need to…ask you a few more things. What about the other one?" He remembered Coreen's heartbeat; she had a slight heart murmur and Vicki would probably be able to hear it. He needed to find out everything she was sensing; she would need some help getting around the world with vampire senses and, without his to use also, he would have to rely on memory and her descriptions alone as a guide.

"The other one…" She looked at Coreen, "sounds different…there's something wrong with it." She didn't know why, but a little voice in her mind was dubbing Coreen 'sick'.

Henry nodded. She was doing fine, so far.

"And what about scents? Can you smell us both?"

She took in a tentative sniff and smiled.

"You're both good." She didn't know what made her say it, but it was how they smelt. Good; nice; friends.

Henry smiled, too. She recognised their scents as non-threatening. That was very good.

"What about your sight. What can you see?"

She looked around, reminded of the shock she had felt just moments before; she could see, well, everything. The contrasts and colours were so sharp, everything stood out. She looked at Henry again, and marvelled at how perfect he looked; she could really see him…only not like she had ever seen anyone before; he looked perfect to her. Coreen, too…There was an aura about them, something new, and Vicki positively beamed.

"I can see everything. Everything…It all looks so…so perfect…" She didn't know how else to describe it. "But…how?"

Coreen moved tentatively forward and sat at the end of the bed.

"Well, the reason Henry has a heartbeat is because he's, well, human. And you can hear it because we think you might be…a…vampire."

Vicki looked at Coreen blankly. What did she mean, she was a vampire? Henry hadn't bitten her recently, and she hadn't had any of his blood either…

"But that's impossible. You – you're a vampire. You can't just wake up as a human, right? And I didn't…I mean, I can't be a vampire, I…" She stopped. If that was the case, it would easily explain why she had these heightened senses, and the miraculous disappearance of her RP… "Is it…Astaroth?" She was suddenly very worried. What if this was another one of his tricks?

"We don't know. We don't know anything yet. We had to wait 'til sunset to see how you were doing…All I can say is thank god for good curtains; otherwise you might have…" Coreen trailed off, not wanting to alarm Vicki. They had found her in her bedroom, blinds drawn and curtains closed; not exactly as safe as Henry's sanctuary, but it was sufficient to protect her. She had been completely dead to the world, and Coreen and Henry had waited for sunset with bated breath; they couldn't have been entirely sure until she woke up.

"Ok, Vicki, this is important. Are you feeling…hungry, at all?"

"Not tonight." She knew, somehow, that she wouldn't need to feed. Then, a realisation hit her. "Wait a minute! Am I gonna have to drink blood?" She grimaced at the thought. Henry smiled wryly; he had been hoping they wouldn't have to deal with that.

"You might. Since you don't feel the Hunger tonight, I'd say we have some time, maybe two nights, before you'll have to deal with that. If you have to deal with that." He amended, not wanting to be too negative. "Now, I'm going to turn on the lamp, here, and I need you to try to keep your eyes open. It'll be hard, but you can do it, ok?" He reached over and flicked the bedside lamp on. She squinted, feeling the pain in her eyes from the sudden brightness, but, after a minute or two, she slowly opened them. She could see no better than she had been able to with the light off, but it didn't stop her marvelling once more at having her eyesight back.

"Jeez…how do you deal with that?" Vicki looked at Henry, and noticing his slightly downcast look, she regretted saying it. If he was human, then he had lost all the things she was just discovering. "So…let me get this straight; you're human, and I'm a…vampire. We've somehow switched places and…" She paused, trying to make herself say it aloud once more, "I can see!"

Coreen smiled, glad that Vicki was taking it so well.

"So…what do we do now?" The brunette looked at Henry expectantly, who looked to be daydreaming. When he didn't respond, she poked him in the shoulder.

"Ow! What?"

"What do we do now?"

Henry looked uncertain.

"Research?"

"Oh…right…I'm on it!" Coreen got that strange glint in her eye that only came from being on a research mission, then left Vicki's room.

"So…how you holding up?" Vicki asked, wondering if being human was difficult for him after so long.

"I'm alright…I must admit, it was nice to be out in the sunlight. I have wondered what it would be like…I'm worried about why this happened. We were fine last night and now…"

"Yeah…now this…you smell really good." Her improved senses were proving to be rather distracting to her.

"Yeah, but you don't! Go shower!" He joked, hoping to alleviate some of his worry with humour. She chuckled, and grinned devilishly at him.

"Hey, do you think I could use that whole vampire speed thing? I mean, do I have it?"

"No way to tell except trying…" He wondered why she was looking so sly.

She sped into the bathroom and emerged a minute later, wrapped in a towel, her wet hair settling around her shoulders. She dressed with lightning speed and in a heartbeat was standing directly in front of him, completely ready for the day…night, rather, a Cheshire cat grin on her face.

"Now _**that**_ is fun…"

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A/N: Hope that covered Vicki's side of things well enough...I'd love to hear your opinions!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Once again I want to say I'm really grateful for all the lovely reviews! And to say that I didn't create these characters or the premise for the show, or anything except these little adventures. Honest, I didn't…

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Coreen, Vicki and Henry had spent that larger part of the night flicking through books and frantically searching page after page on the internet for anything that might help. They had come up blank, and with dawn fast approaching they needed to make plans for Vicki and Henry.

"I think it might be best if we all stayed at my place. It's completely safe for Vicki, familiar, and it'll be comfortable, too."

"I guess…We'll need to go shopping though - your kitchen is devoid of anything edible and you'll need your three meals a day!" Coreen said perkily; she didn't want to dishearten either of her friends by going all 'doom and gloom' about it.

"Ok, well I'll just go get some things…Coreen, do you need to swing by your place?"

"Nah, I can just go in the morning, remember? It's just you that's got that problem…" She trailed off, wincing. She hadn't meant it to come out like that, but by the looks of it she had made Vicki realise a major limitation to being a vampire. "Sorry…"

Vicki, looking a little disconcerted by what Coreen had said, made her way into her room to get her things together.

"Three meals a day…" Henry thought aloud; it would be rather bothersome to have to eat so much, he thought.

"Yup! And you can have a _**different**_ thing for each one." Coreen was really trying to sell humanity to Henry - she could see the hint of sadness and worry in his eyes and she knew that he needed to be comforted. Being a vampire, with all that that entailed, had been his life for so long; a life he had wanted for himself. Losing that was affecting him, and she guessed that the longer he had to deal with the loss, the worse it would get.

"Ok, I'm all set…" Vicki came out of her room, a small case in hand. She paused, her expression changing to confusion. "Something feels weird…What is that?" She felt a sort of tingling on the back of her neck, like she was being watched. Coreen looked at her watch.

"Probably dawn…" She looked at Henry for confirmation, which he gave in the form of a nod. "Let's go then!"

xXxXxXx

They arrived at Henry's shortly after, and, as dawn hung on the horizon, Vicki lay in Henry's bed trying her best to look nonchalant.

"So…will I feel it? I mean, technically it's dying…" She didn't want to appear afraid of it, but she knew she was. She hadn't thought about this aspect of being a vampire; she would, for all intents and purposes, be dead for the day. And that thought was terrifying; she would be completely helpless for that time – not something Victoria Nelson was comfortable with **_at all_**.

"It's alright, Vicki. I'll be here all day, and I'll watch over you. Just like you did for me, remember? You'll wake in a few hours, and I'll be right here. I promise." She drew some comfort from his words as dawn finally took her. He kissed her soft lips before joining Coreen in the living room.

The sun was lingering on the horizon, showing his mortal eyes a sight he hadn't seen in nearly five centuries; the sky above was navy blue, the last of the stars disappearing in the light of the beginning day, and as the sky neared the rising sun the colours bled from blue, to purple, to pink, to reds and yellows. The few clouds in the sky were made to look like pastel coloured cotton, and his eyes welled up with tears at the beauty of it.

"It's magnificent…" He murmured softly.

Coreen knew better than to say anything; she stayed put, sitting on the couch, and allowed him to watch the dawn. She smiled at his reaction – he was overwhelmed by the experience, something she could understand; if she had been denied such a unique sight for as long as he had she would be just as in awe of it. Only when the sun had fully risen did she stand and move toward him, placing her hand lightly on his arm.

"Pretty awesome, huh?"

"Yes…" He yawned widely then laughed – there was another thing he hadn't done in a long, long time.

"You need to catch some z's or would you be interested in coming shopping?"

"I think I'll come…"

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They stopped off at Coreen's place first, so she could gather some clothes and essentials to bring to Henry's. After, they headed to the supermarket. Henry had found it difficult to adjust to driving with regular, human senses, but found he was slowly getting used to it; really he had just needed to concentrate more on what he was doing. They parked in the nearly empty parking lot and headed inside. Henry had, of course, been shopping in his time as a vampire, but suddenly it all seemed so much more…interesting now that it was for food for him.

"So…what solid foods did you used to enjoy?" Coreen asked as she handed him a basket. He mightn't have had his vampire strength, but he was still a strong guy by human standards, and she was tired.

"I'd doubt you'd find the things I used to eat in the ready-meal section, and even if you got the ingredients I wouldn't have a clue how to make them." Henry replied, an amused smile on his face.

"Right…Of course…My bad. Is there anything you'd like to try then?" They had begun wandering the aisles, Coreen perusing the shelves for ideas.

"I am leaving the decisions in your very capable hands, Coreen."

Coreen picked up all the usual things along with some things she thought it was essential for him to try. They headed to the checkout and, of course, Henry paid and carried the bags out to the car. When they arrived back to his apartment they unpacked the bags and, for the first time ever, Henry's cupboards were quite full.

He felt that tingling in his stomach again, and this time he recognised it immediately as hunger.

"What's for breakfast?"

Coreen grinned; it was so surreal that Henry was looking for food, breakfast, in the morning, of all things, and she couldn't help being a little amused by it.

"Well, I thought it'd be nice for you to try something normal for your first real breakfast…something you'd be guaranteed to like." She had made sure to get flour, eggs, milk and butter at the supermarket for just this occasion; Pancakes. Not only that, but pancakes with maple syrup - a classic. "Oh…do you have anything to cook with? I'll need a frying pan…" The realisation that he might not have a frying pan or spatula or, come to think of it, any of the required items, came as a shock – she had been so sure she had gotten everything they'd need.

"I have one of those…" He bent down and rummaged noisily through a low cupboard and pulled out what looked to be a brand-new pan. Which he then dropped on the floor with a loud crash. "Sorry…" He looked sheepish as he picked it up. He didn't often drop things; in fact it was a rather rare occasion for that to happen; this being human business was more difficult than he remembered. Coreen just smiled kindly.

"That's perfect…and I know you have cups…" She found them in a higher press, and he provided a wooden spatula from a little rack of them he kept for show. She mixed the ingredients, cooked them in the butter, and soon there were two neat stacks of pancakes upon which she allowed him to generously drizzle the syrup. A chopped banana on the side of each plate completed the meal and they sat at the table together to eat.

Henry was sitting, holding his fork and knife, staring at the plate of food.

"This is so normal, it's strange…" Coreen observed, confused as to why he wasn't digging in. "What's wrong?"

"I just…I haven't sat down to eat in a very long time…I mean, obviously I've been at restaurants, and to dinners, but actually sitting, looking at a plate of food that smells so delicious and wanting to eat it…It's…I don't really know what it is. I suppose it's good, but…"

"You miss your midnight snacks?" She said, her mouth full.

He smiled a little.

"Something like that." With that he dug in to the stack of pancakes like, well, like a man who'd never had pancakes before. His little moans of delight at the flavours brought a wide smile to the young woman's features, and she chuckled at the little dribble of syrup left on his face when he was done.

"You've got a little something…" She rubbed her own chin to show him where it was, and, blushing, he quickly rubbed the sticky substance from his face.

"Those were amazing, Coreen. Thank you…" He yawned again, this one giving him the urge to stretch his arms out, too, which he did. The yawn made him laugh again, but he also realised he was very, very tired. Coreen stood up from the table, his yawn having made her do it, too, and they set about setting up the couch for Coreen to sleep on. Henry would stay in his room, with Vicki. He had made her a promise, and wanted to be there when she woke. He was asleep almost immediately after getting into bed. After they had all had a good sleep, they would continue their research efforts. For the time being, they all needed to rest.

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A/N: Henry with maple syrup on his face was just too cute of an image for me to leave out, I'm sorry!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This chapter deals a little more with Vicki's vampire-ness. (I know that's not a word, but what the heck!) I hope you enjoy!

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Vicki took a deep breath inward, her torso rising slightly from the bed as she did so; she had awoken for the night. She could once again hear two heartbeats, which she recognised as Coreen and Henry's. Henry's was decidedly closer, and she could smell and sense him nearby. Rolling over onto her side, she found him sitting up in bed, watching her.

"Hey." She smiled, relieved that they were both alright.

"Hey yourself."

"That was…different…" She was still uncertain about what had happened; the last thing she could remember was talking with Henry, and suddenly everything just went away.

"It's hard to get used to…not that you'll have to." He added the second part hastily; he could tell the night before how scared she was, and had thought of a way he might be able to make it easier for her. He leaned in toward her for a kiss. Their lips met, and Henry concentrated hard on his own memories of vampire sleep; times he, too, had been scared, times he had been relieved to get to rest, but always knowing that he would be alright the next night. She saw the flashes of memory he was thinking of, felt what he had felt, and was comforted by the fact that, despite how much it seemed she was alone in this, she was not. He would be there for her, she knew.

She deepened the kiss, magnifying the intensity, hands roaming through his soft curls and her body pushing him back onto the bed. She felt a burning passion for him, felt a need to touch him, to feel him…She began trailing wet kisses along his jaw line.

"Vicki…" He breathed, knowing he should stop her, but not quite able to get the words out through the haze of his desire for her.

Vicki began to kiss lower, moving down the side of his neck…She could hear his pulse, his blood running through the vessels beneath his skin and instinct kicked in; she needed to taste him…She bit into Henry's neck hard, relishing the feeling and taste of hot blood spilling into her mouth. He cried out and Coreen burst through the door, worried about him. Vicki removed her fangs and, turning to face the source of the disturbance, snarled at Coreen.

The moment's distraction was enough for Henry to come to his senses; Vicki had once controlled the beast within him using their bond, and he hoped that it would work the other way.

"Vicki! Stop!" He put all his will behind the words, ordering her to comply. She did; her fangs retracted, and her eyes returned to normal.

"Henry! Are you alright?" She looked genuinely concerned. He was sitting on the bed, pressing the slowly seeping wound on his neck.

"Oh my god…did you bite him?" Coreen asked, not quite knowing what to make of the situation.

"I'm fine…" His voice was shaky; he hadn't been bitten like that in a very long time – as a vampire it would have just healed over. "But you need to tend to this…"

"I'll leave you guys to…um…" Coreen walked back out, closing the door quietly behind her.

"I'm sorry, Henry…How do I fix it?" He had never taken blood from her unwillingly, and having taken his without warning she felt like she had somehow violated him.

"Do you need more?" He knew she probably did, and it was best to get it over with while the wound was open. She couldn't take any from Coreen, so his would have to do.

"More what? More…blood?" She had to force the word out; she couldn't believe that she had actually enjoyed that, or even allowed herself to do it. She wondered if that was how he felt for her when they were together; passion, need, love…She stopped herself from thinking about that any more – the last word that had come to mind was certainly not one Vicki wanted to think about right then…Or maybe ever.

"Yes. I could feel your Hunger, Vicki. You need blood."

The scent of his fresh blood from the puncture marks she had made was distracting her no end, but she tried desperately not to think about it. She would not, could not, take any more. He knew she was hesitating, that she didn't want to drink of him, but if she didn't the Hunger would demand it anyway; she would become feral and that would lead to a death. He refused to allow that to happen.

"Vicki, I am offering you my blood freely. I want you to take it…Do you remember how it feels when I drink from you? I want to feel that, Vicki…" He removed his hand from his neck, allowing the scent of his blood to become stronger, drawing her in with words he knew she would not be able to resist; without proper training and experience she would be unable to hunt effectively and without a sire to help her she could not be allowed to do it. In truth, though, he had wondered what it would be like; the last person who had fed from him like that was Christina - not exactly the loving, passionate exchange of trust and blood he could have with Vicki. Obviously as a vampire the only way he would ever have known was if he was to turn her. Now, however, he could experience it.

"Do you…really…" She had already decided; her eyes had become dark, black pools, her fangs had descended and she was staring intently at the bright red liquid on his neck as she straddled him.

"I do…" He breathed, feeling a mixture of trepidation and excitement. She leaned down to him and he turned his head, allowing her access to the blood. "Show me…" He breathed as she began suckling at the little incisions.

By the time she was finished with him, they were both satiated.

xXxXxXx

"Hey, Coreen…" Vicki emerged first, having taken a substantially shorter amount of time to get ready.

Coreen smirked; she wasn't stupid, and had a fair idea of what had gone on after she'd left the bedroom. In fact, she had felt rather uncomfortable about it and had brought the book she was perusing out onto the balcony, where Vicki had found her.

"Hey, Vicki. Enjoy your breakfast?"

"Henry was not breakfast…" Her voice held a certain persuasive, menacing quality that reminded Coreen of Henry when he 'vamped' people.

"Ok, ok! No need to panic!" Coreen turned to meet Vicki's gaze.

"Sorry, Coreen…anything yet?" She nodded in the direction of the book.

"No, nothing. But I bet Dr. Sagara will have some useful ideas. She'll be waiting at the university for us. Will Henry be long?"

Henry popped his head out onto the balcony.

"No, he won't. Shall we, ladies?"

They gathered their jackets and Vicki and Coreen's bags and headed for Henry's car - they needed to get to the university as soon as they could.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry this one took a little longer than usual! Hope you like.

xXxXxXx

Henry parked the car and the trio headed for Dr. Sagara's office, where they were greeted warmly at the door. Since they had left the apartment Vicki had found herself idly glancing in Henry's direction every now and again; she felt something new for him, something she couldn't put a name on. She knew it was probably to do with her feeding on him, his trust in her, having his blood running through her veins, nourishing her…She looked to him again, still just as overwhelmed at the perfection she saw, she could smell him, even a few feet away, and it gave her a feeling of peace she had never felt before. She half-smiled, before tuning back into the conversation.

"So, you see, we don't know where to begin, really…" Coreen had taken over, as she had from the beginning of this particular debacle. 

Betty Sagara was not a woman easily stumped by supernatural goings-on, but she felt this one may be an exception. She took Henry's arm, as was her habit, and looked up at him, concern evident in her expression.

"How are you, Henry, dear?" She knew it couldn't be easy for him to be dealing with this. 

Vicki growled low in her throat at the gesture of the older woman.

"Take your hands off him." Her voice was pure vampire, the tone of her normal voice twisted so that it sounded split, a low and high pitch at once, and her stance and expression followed suit; she looked ready to pounce. _**Her**_ territory had been encroached on, and she would not stand for it. Henry looked startled for a moment, before gently, slowly, removing Betty's hand from his arm. 

"My apologies, Vicki." She understood, of course, and held in a small smile at the turn of events; the last time Vicki and Henry had visited her she had gotten the sense that Henry had feelings for the blonde PI, and also that the clearly stubborn, hard-headed object of his affections would prove a definite challenge, even for a four hundred and fifty year old with a lot of…life experience. Vicki brought herself to her full height, looking down at the woman regally, surveying someone beneath her. 

Henry moved so he was standing between Vicki and Dr. Sagara, looking into Vicki's eyes. He gently took her hand in his own, the gesture in itself re-assuring to her. He used their bond to re-assure her further, letting her know that he was hers only. Her features returned to normal and she relaxed. This time, though, she made no apologies for her instinctual actions.

Betty went and sat in an antique-looking armchair, and looked thoughtful for a moment.

"So you say that there have been no indications that this might be linked to Astaroth? Or, in fact, anything demonic." No-one responded, she was obviously thinking aloud. "Has there been any recent magical activity that may have triggered the switch?"

"Not since a few weeks ago…Vicki and I performed a ritual to negate the effects of a spell put on her…" Henry spoke as if he, too, were thinking aloud.

"What was the intent of the ritual? And the forfeit?" Betty knew that if Henry had gotten involved with magic, it must have been serious.

"He gave me a piece of his free will. The forfeit was a phial of our bloods, mixed." Vicki sounded like she was reciting by rote.

"I see…" Betty stood up, holding her hands behind her, and began to pace back and forth. "Have there been any effects? Obvious or otherwise?"

"Yes, there have."

Coreen was looking from Henry to Vicki, waiting to hear their answer; she had wondered what, exactly, the ritual had triggered. They had never really spoken to her about any side-effects and, while she was glad that it had all turned out alright, she had still been curious. They, themselves, hadn't even really sat down together to talk about it.

"When we touch, we can show each other images…feelings…" Vicki began slowly.

"And we seem to have some calming control over the vampire instincts in each other…" Henry continued.

"And before this happened, when we were in Galway, I could sense the other vampire." Vicki finished.

Dr. Sagara looked even more thoughtful, like she was trying to fit the pieces all together, but one just wouldn't go in.

"I see…well I can think of nothing off hand, but I promise I will do my best to help you. I will call Henry as soon as I find anything."

"Thank you, Betty." Henry bowed his head in her direction.

They bid the doctor goodnight and headed back to Vicki's office; she wanted to check if there were any messages or mail for her before they returned to Henry's condo for the night.

xXxXxXx

Henry pulled up near Vicki's place and they walked the rest of the way. When they were outside the door, Vicki raised her hand to tell Henry and Coreen to be still.

"Shh…" She listened carefully at the door, and sniffed the air. Her expression changed from slight worry and curiosity to exasperated and, in a flash, she was inside.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She looked oddly maternal looking down at Mike, who was sitting on the couch, her hands on her hips and a stern expression on her features.

"I'm looking for you, Vic. I've been calling you for two days now, and Coreen's been answering both your cell and your office phone making excuses as to why you're not around. Now, ordinarily I would put that down to maybe a very busy schedule, or some _**normal**_ reason, but given the kind of things you've been into for the past few months," He stole a quick glance at Henry, who he noted was looking decidedly less�proud of himself�than usual, "I naturally got worried. What's been going on, Vicki?" He stood up, feeling just a little intimidated by the way she was looking at him. It didn't help much, though.

Vicki looked toward Henry before turning her attentions back to Mike.

"What exactly was that little look for?" 

"What look?" Mike didn't particularly want to start the little feud with Henry up again, especially considering Vicki's little speech a couple of weeks back. He had come to terms with the fact that he and Vicki were through romantically, but he was still worried about her when it came to Henry.

"The one you just gave Henry. If you have something to say, Mike," For the third time that night she used her vampiric abilities; she appeared right in front of him, looking into his eyes, her voice changing once again as she finished, "say it."

Mike was shocked by what he saw; Henry had obviously turned her. He barged purposefully past Vicki to Henry, his anger twisting his features.

"What the hell have you done to her?" He punched Henry hard, hitting him square on the jaw. To his utter astonishment the other man reeled back from the force of the blow and actually appeared hurt by it. Before either man could react Mike was thrown clear across the room, landing hard in a heap on the floor. Vicki knelt over him, ready to sink her fangs into his neck.

"Vicki…" Henry's voice was pleading, and she forced her features to return to normal, standing back to allow Mike to get up.

"What the hell, Vic?" Mike rubbed a sore spot on the back of his head.

"Henry didn't _**do**_ anything, and it'd be really great if you could stop acting like everything that goes wrong is his fault."

"Are you…like him now? A vampire?" Mike looked at Vicki worriedly.

"Would that bother you, Detective?" Despite the fact that Cellucci had nearly decked him, he couldn't help but be angered by Mike's clear disdain for him, and wouldn't stand for any mistreatment of Vicki because of her being vampire.

"Yeah, it would, Fitzroy. Now I'll ask you again: What the hell did you do to her?" He squared off with Henry, standing directly in front of him – it was clearly a challenge.

"Guys, please…Mike?" Coreen didn't want them to start a fistfight right there, it would do neither man any good.

"It's alright, Coreen. As Vicki said, I didn't do anything to her. And may I remind you that this matter is none of your concern, Detective." Henry stared Mike down.

"It's my god damned concern if you've hurt her, Fitzroy, and if you've turned her into…into a monster, then you'd better believe it's my business."

Vicki regarded Mike with cold, grey eyes. A monster, was that all he could see now? He couldn't look past that to see she was still the same woman; she was still Vicki Nelson. 

"Get out." 

"Vic, I'm just trying to look out for you…"

"I know, Mike, I know. But you need to leave now, before you say something you'll really regret." Vicki sounded weary; she hadn't thought about telling Mike, but she was glad�he knew�– he had really shown her his true colours just then. Sure, he had had the best of intentions but, once again, his good intentions had led him to act rashly and he ended up causing more trouble than good. She couldn't blame him; maybe if the situation were different she wouldn't have been able to accept all the things they had encountered over the past months. But the point was she had, and somewhere along the line that had changed her, she only hoped it hadn't changed her enough that she and Mike could no longer be a part of each other's lives. He walked out, shaking his head, unsure if there was anything else he could do but do as Vicki said. For now, though, she couldn't worry about�him – she had more pressing matters to attend to.

"Do you need an ice pack or anything, Henry?" She placed her hand gently on the already swelling bruise, eliciting a slight gasp on Henry's part.

"That'd be nice…I had forgotten how much a punch could hurt…Vicki, why did you attack him like that?"

"Because he shouldn't have messed with you." She smiled at him before leaning in for a gentle kiss.

"Guys! PDA! Assistant still here! Hello!" Coreen put in, wanting to interrupt before anything else happened. 

Vicki sent Coreen to get Henry something from the freezer for his jaw while she checked her messages and gathered some clothes together to bring. When they were all ready, they left for the condo with a few hours still 'til dawn.

xXxXxXx

A/N: I'm sorry if I have offended any Mike fans, but that's just how I thought it would go down. As per usual, I'd really love to know what you thought!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Wow…I've just noticed how many people have alerts on this story…Thank you all so much for reading! And thank you kindly to luinlothana for the review of the last chapter! 

xXxXxXx

"My jaw is killing me…" Henry said quietly, not for the first time that night.

"Don't be such a baby!" Coreen shouted from the kitchen.

"So…you think it might have something to do with our little….bond thing?" Vicki tried to distract Henry – he complained way more than she usually did when she got hit. On a side-thought, she was a little disturbed that she could use the word 'usually' referring to being hit…

"It's possible. We haven't tested what, exactly, it can do yet, and judging by what we do know about it it's very powerful."

Coreen made her way back from the kitchen, a plate of sandwiches in one hand and a tray with two glasses of wine in the other.

"Sandwiches and wine, Coreen?" Vicki remarked, a slight smirk on her face as she got up to help the younger woman.

"Hey, not my choice! Henry asked for the wine. I advised beer, but he looked at me like I'd just suggested drinking puddle water." Vicki took the tray with the glasses and brought it the rest of the way.

"Do you honestly think that after four hundred and fifty years I'd waste my time with beer?" Henry grinned at Vicki as he took the offered glass.

"Oh, and sandwiches are alright?" She quipped, smiling at the almost gleeful expression on Henry's face as he swirled the glass and took in the aroma of the deep red liquid within it. He took a small sip, and closed his eyes as he savoured the flavours.

"How is it?" Coreen asked, picking up a sandwich.

"Wonderful. Just wonderful…" Henry replied, before taking another sip. He intended to remember the taste, and wanted to take it slowly. 

xXxXxXx

Three slow glasses later, Henry was beginning to feel a little tipsy. Just a little.

"The problem is that there's not enough wine left!"

"Henry, I think you've had enough wine. In fact, I think after the first glass and a half you'd had enough. Vicki, do you think you can handle him yourself?"

"Oh, she can handle me, alright…" Henry said, before bursting into a fit of giggles.

Coreen merely rolled her eyes, and, when Vicki said she'd be ok by herself, Coreen headed to her place; she was looking forward to at least a few hours of rest in the comfort of her own home.

"Is this what it's like for you? Always having to look after me?" Vicki sat down beside Henry on the couch; he was looking at her, wide-eyed, and smiling somewhat lopsidedly.

"I don't mind…I like looking after you…" He allowed his head to flop back, resting on the back of the couch

"You do?" She couldn't help but grin at the way he was behaving; she had never imagined Henry as anything but his usual self – she had thought that after a few hundred years one probably developed a fairly set personality. This, though, was hilarious. And, well, a little cute.

He rolled his head to the side, so he was looking at her again.

"Yeah, I do…I like when you smile…Do it again!" He grinned at her.

She laughed, looking away a little shyly. Were she still able to blush, she would have. 

"I think you need a coffee or something." Her comment only made him laugh again.

"Nah, I'm fine. I haven't been drunk in a couple hundred years…It's not quite how I remember it…"

"Yeah, well, apparently you can't hold your drink these days!" 

He sat up straight, trying to look at her seriously.

"I can hold my drink. Look!" He picked up the almost empty bottle of wine from the table and held it aloft. "See! I'm holding my drink…" He obviously found this hilarious, because he proceeded to laugh until the bottle fell out of his hand. "Whoops! I liked that rug…I guess I can't hold my drink after all…" 

"Guess not. Come on, let's get you to bed - you're gonna have some headache in the morning…" She helped him to his feet and brought him tothe bedroom, where he swayed all the way to bed by himself. As she turned to leave, he called her.

"Vicki? Aren't you coming?"

"Did you…want me to?"

"It'd be nice…if you did…I mean, you don't have to…" He looked a little disappointed, "I know it's still a little while 'til dawn."

"Hey, why not…" She climbed into bed with him, allowing him to gather her up in his arms. Her head resting on his shoulder with his arm around her, she could hear his heartbeat slowing.

"Sweet dreams, Henry…" She whispered softly.

"Goodnight, my love…" He half-whispered, half-mumbled, and soon after he was fast asleep. Vicki stayed with him for the remainder of the night, listening to his slow heartbeat, and enjoying just lying in his arms.

xXxXxXx

Henry was woken at around mid-day by a loud thumping on the door, which hurt his head very much. He got up, putting on his trousers from the night before, and stumbled out to the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, let me in!" Coreen's voice came from the other side of the large wooden door.

Squinting from the light in the room, he opened the door and allowed her in.

"Good morning! I thought you'd have a hangover, so I brought you coffee!"

"Thank you, Coreen…" He took the cup gratefully, familiar with the custom of treating a hangover with this cure. He sniffed it then took a sip, surprised by the tangy taste. "It's nice…"

"Did you sleep ok?"

"Yes…well…I could have done with a few more hours, but I'll live." He smiled gingerly, taking another sip of the hot liquid.

They headed to the table and sat opposite one another.

"So…Did Dr. Sagara call you yet?"

"I don't think so…it didn't wake me up if she did." He ambled over to his phone and checked for messages. "No messages. Did you sleep well, too?"

"Yep, it was nice to be at home. I had a thought this morning, though – we should go out today! I mean, you might as well enjoy the sunshine while you can, right? We don't have to do anything big, maybe just go for a walk or a picnic or something. What do you think?"

"That sounds great…strange, but great…it's so hard to get used to the idea that I can go out there…that I can even see it now, in the light…" He stared out the window, just marvelling at the brightness outside. It was so unlike anything he had seen in so long.

"I get it. Kind of…I mean, I can imagine what it's like. But anyways, go get yourself ready – we've got limited hours of sunlight left and I'm sure you want to take advantage of them all. I'll go get some stuff together for lunch." He smiled at the young brunette, touched that she had been thinking of him. She truly was a good friend. "Shoo! Go shower, hangover boy!" She waved her hand at him in a dismissive manner, at which he chuckled as he went to get ready. 

Half an hour later, he emerged from the bedroom, wearing a grey t-shirt, a black shirt over it with the sleeves rolled up, loose-fitting jeans and basketball shoes.

"Is this suitable for sunshine?" He asked, genuinely wanting an opinion.

"That'll do. You shouldn't be too warm or too cold…God, I sound like a mother. Don't forget to bring a sweater, Henry, just in case…" She hadn't really meant him to do it, but he did anyway. Two minutes later, a black sweater tied around Henry's waist, they were heading out the door.

"Oh!" Coreen grabbed Henry's shoulder, "You'll need this…" She dug around in her bag, pulling out a white and orange bottle. "Sunscreen. We wouldn't want our fair skinned little Tudor to burn now, would we!" 

"Do I really need it?"

"Honestly? Yes. If you don't you'll come back beet red. And you don't want Vicki to see you all peeling and horrible tonight, right?" 

At that he took the bottle reluctantly, read the instructions, then opened it andrubbedthe creamon his face and his exposed arms.

"Happy, mom?" He smiled cheekily at her.

"Shut up, Henry. But yes, I'm happy now."

xXxXxXx

They had set up camp in the shade of a tree in a little park not far from the condo. Henry had sometimes visited it at night, enjoying the quiet and sometimes taking the time to look at the silvery moonlit pond. The beauty he saw there that day, though, was of a completely different calibre. Children ran around the grassy areas, played in the playground, the pond shimmered in the golden sunlight; the whole place seemed truly alive, and everyone he saw was full of happiness. He took out a small sketch book he had brought, and a pencil, and began to draw what he saw. The picture he drew was so different to his usual style; it needed colour, brightness, a different kind of life to it than anything he had drawn in a long, long time. Coreen watched the artist in him exploring his new subject; life in light. He would have to wait until he got back to the condo to finish it – it demanded colour, but the pencil bones of it, which he showed Coreen, was still a lovely image. When it began to get closer to sunset they returned to Henry's place; he wanted to keep his promise to Vicki to be there when she woke up.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Once again, I'd like o thank you guys so much fo the reviews, it really helps to get your thoughts on it and to know you're enjoying the story! I hope you enjoy this chapter, too...

xXxXxXx

"Good morning…" He stroked her cheek gently, aware that even though she had not opened her eyes she was awake; the deep breath at sunset had told him that.

She smiled, hearing, smelling and sensing who it was. She didn't open her eyes yet, she was happy enough to lie there with Henry beside her.

"Hey…Coreen's not here…" 

"I told her to go get a proper night's sleep tonight – we don't need her to be here."

She sighed contentedly as he continued to caress her cheek. She would have him to herself for the night.

"You were drunk!" She heard a soft chuckle.

"I was…"

"You were a funny drunk!"

"I was…"

She opened her eyes, looking up at Henry.

"You took me to bed. You asked me to stay with you."

"I did." His voice became solemn; he knew she wanted to talk about it. Not that he was complaining – he had wanted to have this particular talk for a while. 

"I'm glad." That one shocked him; he hadn't expected her to say that, even if she had thought it.

"You are?"

"Yes. Henry, I think I understand now…how you feel about me…" She looked away for a moment, trying to search for the right words. She knew what she felt, but hadn't a clue how to get it out. "And how I feel about you. I know we've been…dancing around the issue for a while now, but I don't want to anymore."

"You don't?" He wondered how far she would allow herself to go with this, how much she would allow herself to say. 

"No, I don't…this whole thing, you…and I…" She hesitated, but only for a second, "I want it. I want you. I want…"

He sighed, closing his eyes. He had wanted to hear her say this for so long. He had been ecstatic when she had let him in, trusted him, just that little bit, and then they had begun a tentative sort-of relationship, they had made love…it was more than he could have hoped for. But this…it was too much, and he thought he knew why.

"Stop, Vicki. Stop." Had he looked at her he would have seen how confused she was, would have seen the beginnings of hurt and anger in her expression. But he didn't – he couldn't. If he did, his resolve would break, and he needed to say this. "I don't think this is you talking…it's…it's just because of the feeding." He knew all too well the possessiveness that could come from feeding from someone one had feelings for…it could do things to you, make you feel more strongly for them. She had already shown that the vampire within her saw him as her territory, and he didn't want to hear her say she truly wanted him, that she wanted to be with him, unless he knew it was for real. If she went back on it, got cold feet, or if she woke up and realised it had all been because she drank his blood, it would tear him apart. 

"What?" Her voice was eerily calm, and he chanced a glance her way. She looked…well, he wasn't quite sure what to make of her expression. It was…cold.

"I'm sorry, Vicki…I just…I want to know it's you talking, that you mean it…" His expression told her that he was truly upset. She didn't care; she knew how she had felt for him, knew that she had loved him for a long time. She was finally ready to tell him, to share that with him, to acknowledge their relationship, and he had stopped her. She lunged at him, pushing him forcefully back onto his bed, pressing her soft lips against his. She used their connection to show him, to let him feel what she had felt for him for months now, then suddenly, she was gone. He took a deep breath in, before jumping up off the bed to look for her. She had taken her jacket and her bag, and the door of the condo was wide open. She was gone. Henry knew he had made a big mistake. A very, very big mistake. He only hoped that she would be able to forgive him for it. He stood looking at the open door, unsure how to react. If his actions meant he had lost her, he would never be able to forgive himself. He gasped, his face paling at a realisation that had just hit him; Vicki was out on her own, probably very hurt and angry. With vampire strength. And having had no training to control herself. He needed to call Coreen urgently, and they needed to find Vicki. If they didn't, he wasn't sure what she would be capable of.

xXxXxXx

Coreen arrived at the condo in record time. Henry let her in, and went about trying to explain what had happened. Coreen looked at him blankly.

"So…let me get this straight. You, a vampire with four hundred and fifty odd years of experience in the goings-on of the vampire mind, stopped the _**woman you are in love with**_, who is now a vampire, and has only _**two night's**_ experience as a vampire, from telling her she loved you too and wanted to be in a proper relationship with you. Oh yeah, not forgetting that Vicki has the hardest head in all of Canada and had probably been psyching herself up for _**weeks**_ to say this to you, and you blew it. Now she's pissed, and you haven't a _**clue**_ where she went. Great work, Henry. Really well handled." She was angry with him. She knew how Vicki had felt about Henry, knew it was only a matter of time before they officially got together, and she also knew, even though things had been going well between them, how hard it would be for Vicki to ever admit to loving Henry. 

"I know, Coreen…I know." He couldn't even look at her; he was disappointed in himself, and knew he deserved harsh words. "But please, we need to hurry – you can yell at me all you want once we know she's safe. And not going to hurt anyone."

"You don't think she'd…" Coreen trailed off, not wanting to think about the worst case scenario.

"I don't know. She doesn't know how to control herself, her new abilities – she's never had to. Let's just hope she's…walking it off…" He didn't really believe she would be doing that, but he could hope. They set off out into the night on foot, trying to think of Vicki's usual haunts. They both knew this was going to be a long, long night…

xXxXxXx

A/N: Ok, I know - evil cliff-hanger…Sorry!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Sorry about the evil-ness, guys! It just didn't feel right to put any more in in one go…Have you all been wondering what Vicki's been up to?!

xXxXxXx

Vicki stormed out into the cold, dark night, seething at Henry for what had just happened. How dare he reject her, after all they had been through together? After she had finally decided to admit her true feelings for him? She snarled quietly, wondering what she was going to do. She couldn't go to Coreen, because she'd just bring her back to Henry. She couldn't go to Mike - he thought she was some kind of monster…If she went to the office, they'd find her for sure. And she certainly didn't want to be found. She stopped and looked around, distracted by noise nearby; music, heartbeats, life…

Vicki made her way to the source of the sound, finding a club bustling with young, vibrant life. The sound of the mingled pulses of so many was calling to her, the vampire inside wanting to go play, to hunt…so she did.

She flashed the bouncer a predatory grin as she passed by, and descended the ten odd steps to get in the main door. The smells of lust, alcohol, youth, the sounds of their pulses as they swayed to the music were beautiful to her, and she took off her jacket and sat up at the bar, wondering whether she should order something. She wasn't entirely out of place among the crowd; her jeans, black boots and three-quarter-length-sleeved black shirt made a neutral enough outfit, and that and her natural beauty combined with the radiance given her by being vampire made her look like she belonged. A young man, maybe twenty-five, sidled up to her. Vicki sensed him before she saw him, the hunter within her labelling him strong and healthy.

"Hey, can I fix that?"

"Fix what?"

"Your lack of a drink. You look parched." He smiled cordially at her. Little did he know who, or what, he was dealing with.

"Why yes, I believe you can fix that…" She smiled up at him, showing teeth. 

"What can I get you?"

"Out of here…"

"Huh?" He looked confused. She caught his eye, purposefully bringing the vampire to the surface.

"You will come with me. You won't think it's unusual."

Somehow she had known it would work and, as she led him out of the club and to the nearest quiet lane, she smiled in triumph. If Henry thought it was because of her feeding on him, then she'd just have to get him out of her system. That was what he had wanted, right?

xXxXxXx

"Too obvious. She's an ex-cop and a PI, Henry, I'm sure she knows how to get lost when she wants to."

"Well it was just a suggestion!" He felt so helpless without his extra abilities; his vision was impaired by the darkness, his hearing could no longer pick up the subtleties that made finding someone easier, and since he could no longer get a scent off her, he couldn't track her.

"I'm sorry, Henry. I am. I just want to find her…If you were her, where would you go?"

He stopped, closing his eyes in concentration. If the situation had been reversed, where would he have gone?

"I'd feed. I would go to where I could hunt easily….a club, maybe, or a bar…" His heart sank; she could have done just that, and maybe she was hunting, finding a man to feed from, and maybe she would 'play with her food', as she had called it…Or maybe she wouldn't…Maybe she wouldn't be like him. God, he prayed she wasn't like him…Was this how she had felt when he had brought other women to his bed, so long ago? 

"Henry!" Coreen's voice was impatient.

"Sorry, Coreen. We should check out downtown. I would have headed that way…that's where the life is…" He gritted his teeth, not entirely because of the cold.

"Fine." Coreen rolled her eyes, annoyed that Henry had caused this turn of events.

xXxXxXx

As Vicki sank her fangs into the neck of the young man she heard him moan softly, and not just because of the pain. She could feel it, sense it, taste in his blood that he was aroused by the experience. She smiled, though not enough so as to let any blood pass her lips. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to get lost in the moment herself - she was enjoying it too; the spontaneity of it all, the taste of the blood, the sound of this stranger taking so much pleasure from what she was doing to him. She felt powerful, alive, as if she was finally allowing herself to _**be**_…then she felt him slump against her, falling limp into her arms. Her eyes widened in surprise as she removed her fangs and lapped at the puncture wounds to heal them. Surely she hadn't taken that much? She listened carefully to ascertain how he was. His heart was still beating, which was a good sign, and he was still breathing, albeit a little more shallowly than would be considered normal. He would be fine. Vicki wondered if he would remember their little encounter, and if so, should she be worried? She half-smiled, remembering his little moans of pleasure, the hardness she had felt pressing into her thigh as she had taken what she wanted from him…So what if he remembered? He had enjoyed it just as much as she had. 

She arranged his slumped form in a sitting position near the entrance to the alley; it was a good enough area of the city, there was plenty of foot traffic, and she sensed he would wake soon enough, so he should be perfectly safe. Vicki set off again, wondering what to do. She knew she could take no more blood that night, but she still needed to occupy herself until near dawn…

xXxXxXx

"Ok, so no sign of a rampage…that's a good sign, right?" Coreen said as she scanned the passers-by on the street, looking for Vicki's face.

"I suppose it is." Henry replied, occupied by the same task as his young companion.

"Right…so…now what?"

"I don't really know…without my…" Henry hesitated, not wanting to remind himself yet again of his lost abilities. "I haven't ever had to search like this, I'm not quite sure how…"

"Oh!" The gothette's features lit up as she remembered something. "I have a photo of her…here somewhere…" She began searching through her purse, "We could show it to the guys on security around here, and find out if they've seen her."

"Why on earth do you have a photo of her in your wallet?" Henry was grateful that Coreen had had her bright idea, but he couldn't help but ask.

"Just in case I need it…Thought it might come in handy for quick forgeries if she ever needed one…" At the look she was receiving from Henry, she hastily added "or if I ever lost her somewhere…"

"I see…let's do this, then."

They were unsuccessful at the first three places, but at the fourth they got a hit.

"Yeah, I remember her…She came in maybe an hour, hour and a half ago. Left pretty soon after, though." The bouncer from the club Vicki had visited remembered her instantly; he didn't often get women looking at him the way she had.

"Did you see what direction she was headed?" Henry asked, trying to keep his tone patient.

"Yeah, I saw…" He chuckled, eliciting glowering looks from his two questioners.

"And?"

"She went that way." He nodded to the left before continuing, "She was with a guy. Looked pretty friendly with him, know what I'm sayin'?" He grinned widely at Henry, who knew exactly what he was saying, but didn't like it one bit.

"Thanks for your time." Coreen said politely, turning to leave.

"No problem."

As they walked in the direction the other man had indicated, Henry had to work hard to keep his emotions in check. She _**had**_ been to a club, and she _**had**_ left with a man…He could only guess at what she was doing right at that moment, and the images that flooded his mind made him sick to his stomach.

xXxXxXx


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thank you all so much yet again for the reviews! Sorry to have kept you waiting, hope it was worth it…

xXxXxXx

"Look, Henry…I know that you're worried about her, I am too…But it's nearly dawn and we haven't found anything since that guy at the club. Maybe we should go see if she went back to the condo?" Coreen kept her voice tentative and tried for soothing, given that Henry had become more and more irate as the night progressed. She couldn't blame him, well, she could, but she didn't want to be on the receiving end of that anger. What was almost worse was the fact that as she spoke he looked, well, defeated; a look she had never seen even an inkling of on Henry before.

"Ok…" He practically whispered as he turned to walk back to the condo, Coreen in tow.

"Do you mind if I go too? I wanna see if she went back…" Coreen said quietly.

"No, I don't mind - she won't want to talk to me if she's there anyway. It's probably better to have you there." He was just staring at the ground as he walked. She nodded, and they spent the rest of the walk in silence.

xXxXxXx

The tall, lithe blonde had him held up against a wall by his throat, and seemed to be taking great delight in the fact that he was close to tears.

"Now, I'm gonna ask you one last time, and if you don't tell me what I want to hear, I'm gonna rip your throat out." She spoke calmly and clearly, but there was something about her voice that made the burly man shiver; she sounded like she would do exactly as she threatened, and like she'd enjoy it, too. He nodded, trying to hold in the panic and not succeeding at all.

"Did you beat up that girl I saw you with?"

Another nod earned him a slightly slackened grip around his neck.

"Did you like doing that? Terrorising someone weaker than you? Frightening her, hurting her, just because you could?" This was the question she wanted the truth to; this was his last strike – if he lied, he was out. He began to cry, knowing that if he didn't answer truthfully, she would kill him, and if he did, she would probably kill him anyway. He tried to swallow, to no avail, before shutting his eyes tight and nodding, expecting a flick of her freakishly strong wrist to end him. Instead, she yanked him away from the wall and threw him to the other side of the deserted street. A dull cracking sound informed both of them that he had fractured something.

"I…I'm sorry…" He spoke through gritted teeth, the pain almost causing him to pass out.

She actually laughed at him. He had never been so afraid in all his life, and he'd seen a lot in his life, dealt with all sorts. But nothing even remotely like the woman who had accosted him just twenty minutes before.

"You're _**sorry**_?" She stood over him, hands on her hips, looking down at him trying to wriggle away from her, favouring his left arm.

"Yeah, I am…I…I'll never do it again…Just please, let me go, please…"

"You're begging? Just like she was doing when I found you….And how did you respond to that? She feigned a thoughtful look before leaning over him and punching him in the ribs. "Oh yeah, like that…" She hadn't used all her strength, but she'd made it hurt. He began wheezing, unable to breathe from the force of the blow. She knew he couldn't take much more, so she did what she'd come to do; allowing her features to morph into those of the vampire she held his face so he was looking into her eyes.

"You will never do that to anyone again. You'll go to that girl and apologize then you'll never go near her again. Then, you'll get your sorry ass a job and forget my face. You will, however, remember the fear and pain that will come back for you if you ever lay a hand on anyone like that again."

With that, she left him. She could feel the coming dawn, and Vicki knew she had to get somewhere safe, and fairly soon, too.

xXxXxXx

Henry and Coreen stood in the living room of the condo, watching the sun rise up over the horizon. As it did so, Henry looked away; it held no beauty, no warmth for him today, only the cold certainty that Vicki wasn't coming back. Coreen rubbed his arm, trying to comfort him. She knew that technically it had been his fault that she had walked out the night before, but seeing him like this she knew that he was berating himself enough without her starting again.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No."

"Ok."

She left him then, knowing that she could do nothing to help him. She would swing by the office, just to check the messages, then go home; she would need to be well rested for the next night, whatever happened.

xXxXxXx

He had tried to sleep, but had ended up leaving his bed, unable to lie there without replaying the memories of what he had said to Vicki, and the memories and feelings she had shown him when she kissed him before she disappeared. He had fallen into a light doze on the couch when he was startled awake by the telephone.

"Hello?" His voice hid none of the weariness he felt.

"Henry, it's Bettie. I think I've got it. Would you come and see me today?"

If only this had been the day before, maybe…He shook his head, not allowing himself to think like that.

"Of course, Bettie. I'll come by in about an hour?"

"Wonderful, Henry, dear."

He got right up and got ready to leave; a definition of the problem would provide a means for a solution. He had to focus on that. Maybe Vicki would cool down when she awoke, and they would make up. Wishful thinking, he knew, but he needed it to fuel him on. He quickly ate some toast before leaving, finding himself unable to ignore the need for nourishment of some kind, and arrived at Dr. Sagara's office a little over an hour after her call.

"Henry, come in. This one was definitely a toughie, but I think I've cracked it. Have a seat and I'll tell you my theory."

He took a seat opposite her, hardly containing his excitement at the possibility of things going back to normal.

"What do you think happened?"

xXxXxXx

A/N: Ok, sorry guys! You'll have to wait for the big revelation! It'll be quick, I think, all going well…Questions? Comments?! Tell me what you thought!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thanks again for the reviews, guys - it really means a lot to me that you took the time to write them. Enjoy!

xXxXxXx

Coreen sighed as she turned her key in the lock of the office. By the look of the place Vicki hadn't been there, but then Coreen was sure that, as an ex cop and a PI, Vicki could cover her tracks. Still, she decided to have a snoop around, see if her boss had collected any belongings. The closed blinds made it difficult for her to see much, so she went to the windows in the two offices to open them up. With the light streaming in the visibility was much better, so the young woman set about checking Vicki's desk, her own, the drawers and anywhere she thought Vicki might have kept important things. Finding nothing, she moved on to Vicki's own room to check for missing clothing. If she knew Vicki had taken a bag she could maybe check out hotels in Toronto, see if she had gotten a room somewhere for the day. As she tried the door she noticed it was locked, and a realisation dawned on her; maybe Vicki had come back there for the day, made her own makeshift sanctuary. She paused, wondering whether or not to go in. If Vicki had wanted Coreen to find her, surely she would have told her, right? But then, she had put herself away somewhere fairly obvious, somewhere Coreen was likely to go at some point…Coreen decided she needed to see her boss and friend, just for a second, to make sure she was alright. She hurriedly closed the blinds she had opened and came back to the door, removing a pin from her hair to try to unlock it. After a few seconds of wriggling it around in the lock she heard a click. Very pleased with herself, she grinned as she entered the room, careful to close the door behind her. It was pitch black in the room, and Coreen flipped the light switch to get a good look. The place was messy, but there was no Vicki anywhere she could see.

"Damn…" She said aloud, before sighing once again. She turned off the light, closed the door, then, after checking the phone for messages and gathering up the mail she left, hoping she could sleep knowing that Vicki was still gone.

xXxXxXx

Henry looked expectantly at Dr. Sagara, waiting.

"Well, Henry, you told me that you shared part of your free will with Vicki. That it was possible for you to use some sort of connection you now have because of that to exercise some control over one another, and to transmit messages of one kind or another. What, exactly, happened the night before you woke up human?"

"We were just relaxing at my apartment. I was teaching her chess, she had some pizza, we kissed…"

"And does this bond require physical contact?" She interrupted him.

"For some things…Vicki has shown that she can exert some control over me merely by force of will, and her ability to sense the other vampire needed no contact, either. But it seems that if we want to…transmit messages, we do need to be touching. Is that important?"

"I believe it is, Henry. What were you thinking about when you and Vicki kissed that night?"

"I…I'm not really sure…"

"Try, Henry, this is important."

He thought about that night, what they had been doing, how he had felt, what he was thinking…He looked confused for a moment before responding.

"I was thinking about pizza…" He looked up at Bettie, who was smiling knowingly at him.

"I thought it might be something like that…Any ideas what she was thinking?"

"None…we…haven't had the chance to talk about it." Henry's pained expression told her there was a story behind that sentence.

"Why not?"

"She…she left, last night, and we, Coreen and I, haven't been able to find her…"

"Oh, Henry…What happened? Did she…do anything?"

"I said something…something I shouldn't have, and she left. We got information from security at a club downtown that she'd been there, but after that we got nothing."

"Well there haven't been any bodies found or mysterious deaths reported in the news that I've seen…but…" She rifled through some papers on her desk and pulled out a newspaper, "there was something, now that I think of it."

Henry froze in fear, praying silently that Vicki hadn't killed anyone…she would never be able to forgive herself if that was the case and he would feel responsible for it, too…

"Ah, here they are. Two small articles; one, a man found unconscious downtown was brought to hospital and had to be treated for serious blood loss, with no obvious injuries. Now, I put that down to something odd, but it could have been Vicki now that I know she was loose last night…The other, a known criminal, goes to the police beaten up ranting about being attacked but he had no recollection of who did it. He needed hospitalisation. No mysterious deaths, though. We could be lucky, Henry. Very lucky."

Henry closed his eyes and tilted his head back, relief flooding through him. She hadn't killed. She had fed, alright, but she hadn't killed…He silently thanked God before looking to Bettie again.

"Alright, so we know what she was likely up to. I think we should have her here when you explain this thing…it's only fair." He made to get up, but Dr. Sagara raised a hand to halt him.

"I think I know how to find her, Henry. If my theory is correct it should be quite easy."

"How?" Henry was quite curious as to how Bettie thought they could find Vicki.

"You said yourself you can exert control over each other from a distance. You find her!" She grinned, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What...how?"

"Think about it, Henry. You are connected to her. Because of that ritual she carries a little part of you with her all the time now. It shouldn't matter that she is…sleeping. I'm almost certain it should work. Concentrate on her, just like you would if you wanted to use the link to send her a message."

Henry was taken aback…was it really that easy? He closed his eyes, thinking about Vicki, using all his will to ask where she was. At first nothing happened, but after a minute or two he gasped; flashes of images were coming to him like vivid recollections. He vaguely recognised them, but what clinched it for him was the 'memory' of a scent… His eyes shot open.

"I know where she is."

xXxXxXx

A/N: Alright…nearly there, guys! Just a little bit to go…


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Once again, thank you for the reviews! I'm so glad you're sticking with it and enjoying the story...Here comes the big reveal!

xXxXxXx

Vicki awoke, taking the characteristic deep breath as the sun sank below the horizon. She was rather uncomfortable, but then someone who had spent the night the way she had would be, 'dead' or not. She pushed down the duvet and towels she had placed over herself the night before and rolled, rather ungracefully, out of the wardrobe and onto the floor. On hearing a heartbeat in the other room, though, she was on full alert. Realising she knew exactly who it was, though, she decided to shower and change her clothes before greeting her 'guest'.

She had intended to breeze right by him, not wanting to deal with the situation, but when she saw the look on his face as she opened the bedroom door she just didn't have the heart to do it.

"Henry…"

He looked up at her, worried.

"Vicki, thank God. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine…"

"I was so worried…Coreen, too."

"Yeah, well. I can look after myself, Henry. I got by just fine. Why are you here?"

"I came to check on you. I was afraid that something might have happened to you last night so…"

"I see. Well, I'm just peachy, thanks for stopping by." She made to walk by him and leave, but he put out his hand to stop her.

"Wait, Vicki, there's more. Please." She couldn't refuse him; something about his eyes pleaded with her in a way that told her he felt broken, and she couldn't walk away from that.

"I came to apologise, too…I behaved like a fool last night, saying what I did…but Vicki, you have to understand; I have…cared for you for so long now…you can't imagine how much I've wanted to hear you ask for more from me…you can't imagine what I'd give, if only you asked…I was just so afraid that you'd say something then regret it, and it would have broken my heart. I know I handled it badly, and I know now how you feel about me; even if you didn't say it…Can you…forgive me?"

Her expression was unreadable; nothing about her body language spoke to him, and he began to worry – what if she wouldn't forgive him? What if she wouldn't have him back?

Then he saw the beginnings of tears in her eyes, and that worried him even more. Until she spoke.

"Of course I can, Henry…"

Something inside him changed at those words, the pain and sadness, the worry, the weariness of the past twenty-four hours melted away and he felt whole again. He took her hands in his and they looked into each other's eyes. Vicki leaned forward and gently, tentatively touched her lips against Henry's. The rush of pleasure and emotion from even this slight contact with one another made them both shiver as they pulled away.

"I think that one was better…" Vicki said as she opened her eyes again.

"Much better…" Henry agreed, a smile playing at his lips.

"Not to ruin the moment, but how did you know where I was? I thought I was pretty clever…"

"I hate how statements like 'Not to ruin the moment' always precede another statement which ruins the moment." The wide grin spread on his features told her he didn't really mind. "But that brings me to the third reason I'm here. Bettie called today; she thinks she's got it figured out. I went to see her, and she helped me find you using our little connection."

"That could come in handy…" Vicki replied, but Henry didn't miss the slight disappointment that showed on her features. "So, she thinks we can go back to normal?"

"She does. She didn't get into it, though - we thought you should be there for that."

"Ok…" She tried not to look like this news had upset her, but in truth it had. She had known it would all have to go back the way it was; Henry was meant to be a vampire, and she was meant to be human. It was how it had to be. Unfortunately, though, it also meant she'd have to go back to the RP and near-sightedness and after seeing the world through a vampire's eyes….well, it was going to be difficult. She had resolved not to bring it up, though. It would be selfish of her to expect Henry to give up who and what he was to cheat her way out of her condition, and to remind him of it would only serve to make them both upset about it. She would just have to deal with it.

"Are you ok, Vicki?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Lets go get switched back; I'm tired of being able to smell garbage from two blocks away." He chuckled as he held the door open for her and led her to his car.

xXxXxXx

As Vicki and Henry entered the condo Coreen bounded toward them.

"Vicki!" Coreen squealed as she pounced on the blonde and hugged her so tightly it would have hurt a human. Vicki gave her a little pat on the back and Coreen let her go.

"Hey, Coreen. Bettie."

"Vicki. Take a seat, you two. This could take a few minutes." Bettie smiled as she gestured to Henry's couch. They sat beside each other and Coreen took a seat by Dr. Sagara.

"So, let's start with this connection of yours. I have to say, it's a most unusual phenomenon. It seems that because Henry gave you a part of his free will, this created a bond between you. Now, you've said this bond can be used to exert a certain degree of control over one another, and also that, with physical contact, it can be used to send messages to one another. She paused, checking that everyone was with her so far. "Vicki, if I may ask; what were you thinking about the night before the change?"

Vicki looked confused as she tried to think back.

"Well…we played chess, I ate pizza, then we kissed… and I remember thinking about…" She groaned, not wanting to go into it. At an expectant look from Dr. Sagara, she went on. "Henry once tried to describe how he perceived the world. I was thinking about that, wondering how he saw me…" She hadn't been getting herself down about her own vision; she was just genuinely curious as to what he had meant by people 'glowing'. It had just randomly popped into her head. "Why? Is that important?"

"Very much so," Dr. Sagara continued, her tone serious, "Henry, you were thinking about an aspect of humanity. Vicki, you were thinking about an aspect of being vampire." She waited, wondering who would catch on first. Vicki and Henry were looking at each other curiously, but Coreen looked like she might be on to it. "Well, if it is possible for you to control one another, to communicate by merely willing it, it is likely that, due to the physical contact combined with you both simultaneously wondering about what it's like in the other's shoes…" She looked expectantly at the young brunette sitting beside her, who was practically hopping in her seat.

"So you're saying they actually willed themselves to switch? All by themselves? That's amazing…" The gothette was wide-eyed and smiling as she spoke, fascinated.

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Wait, wait…does that mean that all they have to do is do it again and they'll go back?" Coreen was dumbfounded by the simplicity of the solution.

"Correct! It may take some concentration, but that's all they need to do." Bettie smiled triumphantly.

Vicki and Henry looked from each other to Bettie, to Coreen.

"That's it?" Henry exclaimed, disbelief showing on his features.

"That's it." Dr. Sagara answered, amused at the trio's inability to accept the straightforward solution.

"Huh..." Vicki began, looking rather confused before turning to Henry again. "You turned yourself human for **_pizza_**?!"

xXxXxXx

A/N: One more chapter to go, I think! Maybe one and a bit. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter, I'm not sure if it came out quite right…


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thanks for the lovely reviews, guys, and for reading. I hope you like the ending! (Which someone - you know who you are ;) - guessed at before I ever even hinted at it…)

xXxXxXx

Coreen and Bettie had left Henry and Vicki alone to work out what they wanted to do about getting switched back. They figured they'd like the privacy and that they would probably like to have some time alone after the trouble of the night and day before.

"So…no demons, ghouls or scary rituals, huh? Where's the fun in that?" Vicki broke the silence.

"I suppose not…When do you want to do this?"

"Tonight – I want to get it over with." She had tried not to sound like she was referring to the change back as a bad thing, but on noticing the slight furrowing of Henry's brow at her tone she hastily continued, "I really miss pizza." She grinned, taking pleasure in getting another dig in at him about his questionable reasons for subconsciously turning himself human.

"Alright, alright, I know! I didn't do it on purpose, though…Besides, you were the one with the mushy reason."

"I…it wasn't mushy! It was…scientific." She retorted, trying not to look embarrassed.

"Scientific?" He looked at her with one eyebrow raised, questioning her logic.

"Yeah, scientific. I was curious about…vampire anatomy."

At this his other eyebrow rose, too. Vicki's eyes widened – she couldn't believe she had slipped up like that.

"Well, Victoria, you know you only had to ask and I would have taken great pleasure in…filling you in…"

Vicki snorted and began to laugh uncontrollably, joined by Henry a moment later.

"So…how did you like being human?" She managed to say after they calmed down.

"It was…interesting. I liked being able to see the world during the day – it's very different, even than I remembered. And I suppose it was nice to be able to eat again…and dream…But it doesn't compare, not really…I am a vampire, and being anything else just isn't…me. How did you like being a vampire?" He draped his arm over the back of the couch, and began to run his fingers idly through her blonde locks.

"It's been good, I suppose. That first night I woke up, I couldn't believe how strong I felt...I don't know if I could get used to the, uh, menu, though." At this she heard his heart rate increase slightly, and noticed a slight change in his expression. "Henry?"

"Vicki…did you…feed, last night?" A touch of the sadness she had seen in his eyes earlier that night had returned, and she thought she knew why.

"Yes. But there was nothing more, Henry - I wouldn't do that, not even in anger. I didn't exactly manage as well as I did with you, but I left him to be found and taken care of." She reached up and placed her hand gently on his cheek. "Is there anything else?"

"No, there isn't. I think I understand now why my feeding bothers you, though." He smiled, almost shyly.

"And I understand now that you need to do it. I guess I'm looking forward to going back to my usual self; my usual caffeine-dependent, tired, not super-strong self. You think you'll mind going back to saving my butt?" She grinned.

"I would be honoured to be your knight in shining armour." He grinned right back, expecting the light punch on the arm he received.

"So…you wanna try this?" Henry asked.

"I suppose. But, you know…we might need a little more contact than the last time. After all, we'll need all the help we can get." Vicki replied, a sly smile on her face.

"Victoria, what _**are**_ you suggesting?" He looked at her in mock-surprise.

"Nothing, nothing at all; I'm merely saying that we use what we know about this thing to make it easier."

"I see…well I suppose you're right. After all, it may be difficult." He said softly, as he removed her jacket.

They definitely managed to get a lot of body contact in, but they may have lost concentration toward the end…

xXxXxXx

Vicki awoke in the pitch black darkness of Henry's bedroom. She lay still, testing her senses. There were no strong scents, there were no heartbeats, and there was no feeling of complete alertness. She felt…normal. On rolling over onto her side she stretched out her arm and felt Henry lying in the bed. He wasn't breathing, he had no discernible pulse, and she was unable to rouse him. Vicki took this to mean that all had gone back to the way it was supposed to be, and also that it was sometime during the day.

She rolled back onto her back, and sighed. She didn't want to leave the comfort of the darkness yet, because she knew that as soon as she did she would have to acknowledge the RP again. In the darkness, she could deny its existence for a little while longer.

xXxXxXx

Henry awoke at sunset, his deep breath alerting Vicki to that fact. He could smell her scent, hear her heartbeat, and, when he opened his eyes, he could see her perfectly. He was back to normal.

"Good evening…"

"Hey. Sleep well?" She smiled in his general direction.

"No. Did you?"

"Yes…"

"Have you been awake long?"

"I'm not sure. I wanted to wait for you."

He noticed she was unable to pinpoint his exact location, and realised she needed some light. He turned and flicked his lamp on squinting for a second while his own eyes adjusted. When they did, he turned his attention back to Vicki; he could hear her elevated heart rate and erratic breathing.

"Vicki, are you alright?" She looked lost, as if she was about to cry.

"Henry…"

"Vicki what's wrong?"

"Henry, I can still see…"

"You…" He stopped, suddenly understanding what she meant. "How much?"

"Everything…it's not quite the same, but…Everything!" Suddenly, a wide grin spread across her features. She was dumbfounded. Dumbfounded and ecstatic; she didn't know why, or how, nor did she care, but she had perfect vision.

"Vicki, that's incredible!" He was smiling widely, too; Henry knew how much this would mean to her.

"How do you think this happened?" She asked.

"I'm not sure…" Henry looked puzzled for a moment before something dawned on him. "When someone is turned, their body naturally repairs any damages; diseases and injuries are completely eradicated. I suppose it stands to reason that while you were a vampire your body ridded itself of the retinitis pigmentosa. Since it would have been completely removed from your system, it stands to reason that when you changed back it would still be gone…Hence your perfect vision."

"We should tell Coreen and Dr. Sagara that it worked…they'd really want to know."

"Soon…But first…" He pounced on Vicki, pinning her to the bed with his body. "I'd like to test my newly returned capabilities…" He looked into her eyes, the predator within him showing through his own. "I have missed a few of them, you know…"

xXxXxXx

Vicki, Henry and Coreen agreed to meet Dr. Sagara at her office. Henry had picked Coreen up on the way and when they arrived Dr. Sagara quickly ushered them in the door, excited to learn the outcome of Vicki and Henry's attempt to switch back.

"Well?" She looked expectantly between the man and the blonde.

"It was successful." Henry informed her, a smile spreading across his features.

"Oh Henry, that's wonderful."

"It had an intriguing after-effect on Vicki, though."

Bettie looked to Vicki, who smiled, still in awe of it all herself.

"I had a condition known as retinitis pigmentosa, which basically means my peripheral vision and night vision gradually deteriorated over time. It was pretty advanced, but it has completely disappeared now…"

Coreen squealed loudly, launching herself at her boss and friend and catching her in a tight bear hug.

"Ohmygodwhydidn'tyou _**tell**_ meVickithat's _**amazing**_!"

"Coreen, I need to breathe again, remember?" Vicki said teasingly, but she still returned the hug.

"I see…that is certainly intriguing…and everything else is as normal?"

"Yep." Vicki replied.

"Do you think there's a possibility of this happening again?" Henry asked; it had been bothering him for some time as to whether or not they would need to be more careful in future.

"I've been thinking about that, actually. In my experience usually the universe has a way of preventing things like this happening; coincidences, forks in the road, that sort of thing. It's very unlikely that something like this could happen in the first place, let alone again. I'd hazard a guess that one of you did something unusual to get yourselves to the point where all the conditions were exactly right to instigate the switch. It mightn't even have been all that big, just about anything could have done it. In short, though, it's extremely unlikely that this will happen accidentally again. But if it does, you'll know what to do."

Henry nodded.

"I see. Well thank you so much, Bettie. You have, yet again, been a great help." He stood, and Vicki and Coreen followed suit. They said their goodbyes and left. Henry dropped Coreen off on the way, but Vicki elected to go back to the condo for a little while. When they arrived, she flopped down onto the couch.

"Hey, Henry?"

"Yes?"

"Do you still have solid food in the kitchen?"

"I do."

"You wanna bring me some of it? I'm starving…"

Henry smirked; things were all back to normal. Except now, Vicki would expect him to bring her food as well as rescue her on an almost weekly basis. He would have rolled his eyes at her, but for the fact that he was just too happy to have her there and, even though she hadn't said it aloud yet, to have her love him. He smiled contentedly before heading to the kitchen; his lady awaited him.

xXxXxXx

A/N: Phew! That was a long one…Hope you enjoyed! I've had a few suggestions that another sequel wouldn't be unwelcome, so there might just be one if there's enough interest. Let me know what you think!


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